Chapter 8
Early the next morning a loud crash startled Alex from his sound sleep. Without even bothering to grab his robe he dashed for the small kitchen, where his Jedi senses told him the noise had come from. At the door to the small room he slid to a halt and took in the scene before him.
His apprentice stood in the center of the room surrounded by shards of broken glass on the floor. She was looking down at the floor and her hair draped around her face hiding her expression from his view. Quickly his eyes flew to her bare feet and the sharp glass lying so close by.
Suddenly she made as if to move and Alex so afraid that she would step on the glass, bellowed, "Don't move!!!" He realized immediately it was the worst thing he could have done.
Letting out a sharp cry in surprise, Meri took a startled step back, her soft heel coming down directly on a large piece of glass. Things just went down hill from there. Jerking her foot upward she stumbled even farther backwards, both feet now fully embedded with glass. Crimson streaks smeared the kitchen floor and unable to stand any longer Meri fell heavily on her side.
All happened in the space of a few seconds and Alex watched on in horror as his apprentice fell. He started to rush to her side when he remembered his own bare feet and stopped short with a gasp of air.
"Meri?! Meri!? Are you okay, please, answer me?"
His only answer was a faint moan.
"Don't move, Meri. Just stay there, I'll be right back." As he spoke, he practically danced in place; his heart thudding in his chest so hard he thought the whole Temple could probably hear it. Not only had she probably cut her feet to ribbons but she fallen on her side in the glass. She could be seriously hurt. He didn't have time to ponder how she'd gotten herself into such a situation or how she could have been so clumsy as to drop a glass.
In a flash he raced to his room and yanked on his boots; at the last minute, he grabbed his robe before running straight back to the kitchen. This time he didn't hesitate and came right to her side. Wrapping his robe around her, he gently picked her up and rushed with her back to the couch in the main room. Tenderly he set her on the side she hadn't fallen on, then with an impatient gesture brushed her long hair out of her face--hoping that such a tender spot hadn't been cut. As soon as he saw her face, his heart skipped a beat.
She was as pale as death itself except for her cheeks, which were of a bright scarlet hue. Her usually clear brown eyes were hazy and confused--she was sick--very sick. His hand, which hovered near her face, could feel the heat radiating of it--the reason for clumsiness.
"Ohh Force," he breathed. Jogging back to his room he jerked the comlink off his belt, and put in a call to the healers, walking back to his apprentice's side as he spoke. "This is Alex Arieh. Get An-Paj down here now!" he demanded--his voice to his surprise trembling slightly. For a few moments the room was silent as the healer on the other end spoke. "My apprentice! That's what's wrong. She's fallen in glass and cut her feet to shreds! And she's sick, very sick."
Another pause.
"NO, I can't bring her in! We've been quarantined. Didn't you just hear me say she was sick!" he found his voice rising again. The voice on the other end did nothing to calm his fears. He could see the blood soaking his robe before his eyes.
"Thank you," he said tersely. "Please, tell them to hurry."
After tossing the comlink on a nearby table, he moved to sit lightly on the seat next to his padawan. His hands fumbled in his lap, yearning to do something, but he was afraid if he were to pull out the glass, the cuts would only bleed all the faster.
"Ohh, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well!" he said in exasperation. His concern only served to agitate him further, but not towards Meri. He knew a more experienced Jedi could have easily seen she wasn't feeling well last night. This was his fault--especially for startling her.
"I just wanted a glass of water," a weak voice said, jerking him from his musings.
Glancing down he saw the foggy eyes staring up at him in confusion. "No, no," he was quick to assure. "It was not your fault."
"Just a glass of water," she repeated as though she hadn't heard him. As if thinking about it had again triggered the desire for the liquid, she began to try to rise. Before Alex could stop her she froze and looked with confusion at her injured side, as though she couldn't understand why it hurt. Frowning she dropped weakly back onto her good side and let her head droop down onto the armrest. Within seconds her thick dark lashes fluttered to rest softly on a face much too pale.
Alex watched, his concern deepening at his apprentice's lack of awareness. She was completely out of it. Suddenly for the young man the healers could not arrive soon enough.
***
An-Paj stopped outside Alex Arieh's quarters and tapped his long fingers against the door. If what the healer who had answered the call said was any indication, then he expected that door to fly open. He wasn't disappointed either. Within seconds, the door whooshed open and the very worried face of the young knight appeared.
"Oh thank the Force!" he breathed at the site of the healer standing there. His nervousness was obvious.
The blue healer's antennae twitched. "Calm down, Alex," he said soothingly as he walked past the hyped Jedi. Quickly he moved to the couch and immediately began looking over the young girl before him. Laying a gentle hand on her brow, he could feel the heat radiating outwards. //High fever,// he mused. That would bear some watching. A quick glance to his left showed the young Master following the healer's movements closely, his stance uncertain.
After a thorough examination, An-Paj turned and began pulling the things he would need from his bag. Despite his burning curiosity of how in the galaxy Meri had managed to get herself in this situation, he held off any questions for later. Some of these cuts were rather serious, and needed to be attended immediately.
"Alex," he said casually. "Please get me some sort of bowl, will you?" He barely got the question out of his mouth before the young knight was jogging to the kitchen. An-Paj's pale blue eyes fell to the floor, took in the dark stains, and scattered glass, obviously tracked from the other room. His antennae twitched again and he turned back to his patient. Within a few seconds, the young man was back with the bowl and An-Paj seated himself on the couch and pulled one of Meri's feet into his lap. Slowly he removed all the glass from both her feet and then applied the bacta gel. After wrapping her feet to protect them while they healed, he gently maneuvered the soiled robe off her.
"Yours?" he questioned, turning to face the silent Master.
Alex nodded and reached for the ruined garment.
"Well," he said cheerily. "At least you'll only have to get a new robe, and not a new couch." With those words, he turned back to the trembling girl and began to remove the thin night tunic she was wearing.
"Wait--Wha--what are you doing?" came the stammered question.
If the cuts in Meri's side hadn't been so serious An-Paj would have laughed at the look on Alex's face. "She has some very serious cuts on her ribs and waist area. I have to take this off to reach them." The healer paused as if just realizing the problem. "Oh, you might want to step out of the room for a moment."
An-Paj watched as without a word the young knight turned and practically ran from the room. This time the healer's lips did twitch in humor. Turning back to the young apprentice, An-Paj made quick work of the wounds on her side--packing bacta gel into the more serious ones and simply smearing it over the others. When he was through, he realized he had nothing to put back on the apprentice. The garment he had removed was ruined. Quickly he walked towards the back of the quarters. Peering into the larger bedroom, he saw Alex sitting on the edge of his bed staring at the robe in his hands.
He knocked on the doorjamb. "Alex, do you have another tunic I can put on her. The other one is ruined, I'm afraid."
"Oh, uh, sure." The tall knight rose and moved swiftly to the room down the hall.
An-Paj remained where he was and waited. It was a few minutes later when the young Jedi finally returned holding a clean tunic. An-Paj sharp eyes did not miss the knight's red ears, or his flushed neck. //It embarrasses him to go through her underwear drawer,// he realized barely holding in his smile.
An-Paj took the garment out of the young Master's hands. "I'll be right back," he said with a grin he couldn't hold in any longer. Before he could see the knight's response, he turned on his heel and headed back to the main room.
Just as An-Paj finished putting the garment on his sleeping patient, she awoke and her glazed eyes looked up at him in confusion. "How do you feel, Meri?" he asked gently.
"I'm cold," she murmured.
An-Paj bent down. "I know you are," he said softly. "Put you arms around my neck, okay? And I'll take you back to your bed." Without protesting Meri weakly lifted her arms and put them around his neck, and the healer quickly picked her up.
"Am I in the infirmary?" she questioned faintly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"No, you're in your quarters. Don't you remember?" But his question went unanswered, for already she had fallen back asleep. As soon as he stepped into the hall Alex was at his side, and trailed after the healer as he took Meri to her bedroom.
As An-Paj tucked the covers around the sleeping padawan, he asked, "Okay, what happened?" At the grimace on the young Jedi's face, he knew the story must partly have been Alex's fault, or at least he blamed himself for it. And considering what he knew of Alex that was very probable.
As Alex began retelling the story for the healer, An-Paj perched on the side of the bed and listened intently.
"I found her in the kitchen barefoot and surrounded by glass. Then she looked as though she were going to move," Alex paused, and bit his lip, reminding An-Paj distinctly of the young Master's apprentice who did the very thing when she was nervous.
"You didn't startle her, did you?" The question was asked in a tone of voice that implied he knew the answer. And An-Paj was almost sure he did know the answer.
"I didn't mean to, but I did." The look on the young knight's face was miserable. "Is she going to be alright?"
An-Paj nodded. "She'll be alright," he paused, his lips twitching. "Your floor won't be alright, but Meri will be alright. The cuts will heal quickly, but I want you to watch this fever. We've learned it can get out of hand quickly."
The young knight nodded and then began rubbing his temples.
"Oh, and Alex, you have had a first aide class, haven't you?"
"Yes," he replied hesitantly.
"Is there some reason you didn't at least care for her feet?" An-Paj tried to ask the question gently, but he could see the knight would still berate himself over what had happened.
"I did not--I didn't think--I'm sorry," he said quietly, his face showing his obvious embarrassment.
An-Paj stood up and prepared to leave. "It's alright, Alex. You are young and learning." Walking back to the main room, the healer gathered his things and then turned to the knight who had followed him out. "You should be able to remove those bandages on her feet in a few hours," he paused and handed Alex a strange device. "I want you to take her temperature every few hours, and make sure it doesn't get above----oh, right about here," the healer pointed to a mark on the device. "If it does get above that, call us. I'll have whoever is not busy check on the both of you later. Oh and you just place that point, there, in her ear, and press the button. It will record her temperature."
Alex nodded in response and walked the healer to the door. An-Paj paused as he stepped out into the hall. "If you call the cleaning droid right away it can probably get those stains out for you," he offered.
"Thank you, I'll do that," Alex said quietly.
An-Paj nodded and strode down the hall. As he entered the lift, he shook his head, not sure whether he should laugh or be concerned. //Well,// he thought. //There goes that boys confidence for awhile.//
|===|---------
Alex stared after the retreating healer for a few moments before stepping back inside. As the door behind him shut with a soft sound, he turned his eyes to the object in his hand, given to him by the healer. Never in his life had he felt so incompetent and foolish. It was a new feeling and one he did not favor--especially considering `who' his actions affected. Raising ice blue eyes, he stared in the direction of his apprentice, before letting out a haggard sigh.
After accessing the comm. unit and requesting a service droid, Alex headed down the hall to check on his apprentice. After what had happened that morning he found himself thinking he should check on her every five minutes lest a repeat of that morning were to happen.
As he looked down on her pale, but tranquil face he found himself remembering the way his heart had almost stopped when she had fallen, and feeling as if the floor were being ripped out from underneath his feet. //If this is what it feels like to have an apprentice, I'm not sure I can handle it,// he thought wryly.
Reaching down, the young Master pushed a persistent lock of hair behind Meri's ear. //Too late for that,// he mused with a wry grin. His desire to help her in her grief had already grown into something stronger than mere concern. //I just hope she can survive me,// he thought with furrowed brow. It would take him a long while to forgive himself of the earlier mistake.
Hours later, the service droid had come and gone, bringing with it Alex's replacement robe. The stains on the floor had luckily been removed, and things were beginning to look more normal around the quarters. Throughout the day Alex had checked on his apprentice often, and done as An-Paj had ordered--taking her temperature every few hours. He had also removed the bandages from her feet, pleased to see that the cuts had almost fully healed. She hadn't been awake very often; the fever was obviously taking its toll.
It was now late afternoon, and Alex knelt in quiet meditation out in the main room. His senses were sharpened, so it was with ease he heard the almost soundless scuffle in the near hallway. His head turned and his eyes opened in one collective moment. "You shouldn't be up," he spoke in mild surprise.
His eyes took in Meri's appearance and he rose to his feet in a single smooth movement. He noticed the way she was standing--half leaning, against the wall. She was still pale; the rosy hue of her cheeks had lessened, but by no means disappeared. She looked as though she were about to drop at any instant.
"I'm thirsty," she said faintly, taking a step forward.
Her step was unsure, and Alex could see her shaking with weakness. //She definitely should not be up,// he thought as he quickly moved to her side.
As he stopped at her side Meri attempted to look up at him, but as she tilted her head back her body followed and if it hadn't been for him standing there she would have been on the floor.
Walking to the couch, Alex deposited his armful onto the cushions for the second time that day. "You shouldn't be up," he repeated gently. "If you want something you have only to ask me." He knew what he implied and thought it highly unlikely she would actually use the Force to access their almost non-existent bond. "Wait here and I'll get you something to drink, then it's back to bed."
With quick steps he headed for the kitchen, thanking the Force he had averted a second disaster. He was beginning to realize something about his apprentice--she was very stubborn.
***
The healer's visit that evening revealed Meri's fever was a few digits higher than it should be. Though Healer Lilia assured Alex the girl would probably be fine in the morning, the news only furthered to spike his concern.
"She'll be just fine," the healer repeated, her soft voice attempting to reassure him, as she brushed the hair off Meri's damp forehead. "And I've given her something so she'll sleep the night through."
"Should I stay with her?" he asked as he looked down on the sleeping fourteen-year old.
The healer's green eyes studied him and then the sleeping apprentice. "It is not necessary you stay with her, but if you want to..." she trailed off, then turned to pick up her cloak. Lilia knew Meri's background file well after having been assigned to watch over her after her Master's death. Looking now at the young knight by the bedside, she wondered if Meri was being any more open with him than she had been with the healers in the infirmary. Something told her that the new Padawan was not. Perhaps if the knight stayed with her, the grief stricken girl would see someone actually cared, as this young man obviously did.
Giving Alex a last comforting smile, the healer took her leave.
***
After the healer left, the quarters were once again plunged into silence. Alex paced from room to room for a while. Finally making up his mind, he grabbed a chair out of the main room and set it down near Meri's bed. After setting the lights on low, he eased his tall frame into the more than slightly uncomfortable chair.
The hours passed slowly and unpleasantly in the hard chair, but still Alex kept vigil. It wasn't until the early morning hours when a small noise jolted Alex from his dozing.
Sitting up with a grimace, he peered at Meri's face and found it tight and drawn with some unknown worry. He watched as she mumbled and then stirred in the induced sleep that she was unable to escape from. It took him a few minutes to realize he was witnessing one of her nightmares in its beginnings.
When she cried out for her Master, he almost without thinking grabbed her hand and held it tightly, all the while murmuring assurances as he sent Force waves to calm her.
Seconds passed, and then minutes and Meri finally started to calm. The minutes fell into hours, yet Alex did not release her hand.
Early the next morning a loud crash startled Alex from his sound sleep. Without even bothering to grab his robe he dashed for the small kitchen, where his Jedi senses told him the noise had come from. At the door to the small room he slid to a halt and took in the scene before him.
His apprentice stood in the center of the room surrounded by shards of broken glass on the floor. She was looking down at the floor and her hair draped around her face hiding her expression from his view. Quickly his eyes flew to her bare feet and the sharp glass lying so close by.
Suddenly she made as if to move and Alex so afraid that she would step on the glass, bellowed, "Don't move!!!" He realized immediately it was the worst thing he could have done.
Letting out a sharp cry in surprise, Meri took a startled step back, her soft heel coming down directly on a large piece of glass. Things just went down hill from there. Jerking her foot upward she stumbled even farther backwards, both feet now fully embedded with glass. Crimson streaks smeared the kitchen floor and unable to stand any longer Meri fell heavily on her side.
All happened in the space of a few seconds and Alex watched on in horror as his apprentice fell. He started to rush to her side when he remembered his own bare feet and stopped short with a gasp of air.
"Meri?! Meri!? Are you okay, please, answer me?"
His only answer was a faint moan.
"Don't move, Meri. Just stay there, I'll be right back." As he spoke, he practically danced in place; his heart thudding in his chest so hard he thought the whole Temple could probably hear it. Not only had she probably cut her feet to ribbons but she fallen on her side in the glass. She could be seriously hurt. He didn't have time to ponder how she'd gotten herself into such a situation or how she could have been so clumsy as to drop a glass.
In a flash he raced to his room and yanked on his boots; at the last minute, he grabbed his robe before running straight back to the kitchen. This time he didn't hesitate and came right to her side. Wrapping his robe around her, he gently picked her up and rushed with her back to the couch in the main room. Tenderly he set her on the side she hadn't fallen on, then with an impatient gesture brushed her long hair out of her face--hoping that such a tender spot hadn't been cut. As soon as he saw her face, his heart skipped a beat.
She was as pale as death itself except for her cheeks, which were of a bright scarlet hue. Her usually clear brown eyes were hazy and confused--she was sick--very sick. His hand, which hovered near her face, could feel the heat radiating of it--the reason for clumsiness.
"Ohh Force," he breathed. Jogging back to his room he jerked the comlink off his belt, and put in a call to the healers, walking back to his apprentice's side as he spoke. "This is Alex Arieh. Get An-Paj down here now!" he demanded--his voice to his surprise trembling slightly. For a few moments the room was silent as the healer on the other end spoke. "My apprentice! That's what's wrong. She's fallen in glass and cut her feet to shreds! And she's sick, very sick."
Another pause.
"NO, I can't bring her in! We've been quarantined. Didn't you just hear me say she was sick!" he found his voice rising again. The voice on the other end did nothing to calm his fears. He could see the blood soaking his robe before his eyes.
"Thank you," he said tersely. "Please, tell them to hurry."
After tossing the comlink on a nearby table, he moved to sit lightly on the seat next to his padawan. His hands fumbled in his lap, yearning to do something, but he was afraid if he were to pull out the glass, the cuts would only bleed all the faster.
"Ohh, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well!" he said in exasperation. His concern only served to agitate him further, but not towards Meri. He knew a more experienced Jedi could have easily seen she wasn't feeling well last night. This was his fault--especially for startling her.
"I just wanted a glass of water," a weak voice said, jerking him from his musings.
Glancing down he saw the foggy eyes staring up at him in confusion. "No, no," he was quick to assure. "It was not your fault."
"Just a glass of water," she repeated as though she hadn't heard him. As if thinking about it had again triggered the desire for the liquid, she began to try to rise. Before Alex could stop her she froze and looked with confusion at her injured side, as though she couldn't understand why it hurt. Frowning she dropped weakly back onto her good side and let her head droop down onto the armrest. Within seconds her thick dark lashes fluttered to rest softly on a face much too pale.
Alex watched, his concern deepening at his apprentice's lack of awareness. She was completely out of it. Suddenly for the young man the healers could not arrive soon enough.
***
An-Paj stopped outside Alex Arieh's quarters and tapped his long fingers against the door. If what the healer who had answered the call said was any indication, then he expected that door to fly open. He wasn't disappointed either. Within seconds, the door whooshed open and the very worried face of the young knight appeared.
"Oh thank the Force!" he breathed at the site of the healer standing there. His nervousness was obvious.
The blue healer's antennae twitched. "Calm down, Alex," he said soothingly as he walked past the hyped Jedi. Quickly he moved to the couch and immediately began looking over the young girl before him. Laying a gentle hand on her brow, he could feel the heat radiating outwards. //High fever,// he mused. That would bear some watching. A quick glance to his left showed the young Master following the healer's movements closely, his stance uncertain.
After a thorough examination, An-Paj turned and began pulling the things he would need from his bag. Despite his burning curiosity of how in the galaxy Meri had managed to get herself in this situation, he held off any questions for later. Some of these cuts were rather serious, and needed to be attended immediately.
"Alex," he said casually. "Please get me some sort of bowl, will you?" He barely got the question out of his mouth before the young knight was jogging to the kitchen. An-Paj's pale blue eyes fell to the floor, took in the dark stains, and scattered glass, obviously tracked from the other room. His antennae twitched again and he turned back to his patient. Within a few seconds, the young man was back with the bowl and An-Paj seated himself on the couch and pulled one of Meri's feet into his lap. Slowly he removed all the glass from both her feet and then applied the bacta gel. After wrapping her feet to protect them while they healed, he gently maneuvered the soiled robe off her.
"Yours?" he questioned, turning to face the silent Master.
Alex nodded and reached for the ruined garment.
"Well," he said cheerily. "At least you'll only have to get a new robe, and not a new couch." With those words, he turned back to the trembling girl and began to remove the thin night tunic she was wearing.
"Wait--Wha--what are you doing?" came the stammered question.
If the cuts in Meri's side hadn't been so serious An-Paj would have laughed at the look on Alex's face. "She has some very serious cuts on her ribs and waist area. I have to take this off to reach them." The healer paused as if just realizing the problem. "Oh, you might want to step out of the room for a moment."
An-Paj watched as without a word the young knight turned and practically ran from the room. This time the healer's lips did twitch in humor. Turning back to the young apprentice, An-Paj made quick work of the wounds on her side--packing bacta gel into the more serious ones and simply smearing it over the others. When he was through, he realized he had nothing to put back on the apprentice. The garment he had removed was ruined. Quickly he walked towards the back of the quarters. Peering into the larger bedroom, he saw Alex sitting on the edge of his bed staring at the robe in his hands.
He knocked on the doorjamb. "Alex, do you have another tunic I can put on her. The other one is ruined, I'm afraid."
"Oh, uh, sure." The tall knight rose and moved swiftly to the room down the hall.
An-Paj remained where he was and waited. It was a few minutes later when the young Jedi finally returned holding a clean tunic. An-Paj sharp eyes did not miss the knight's red ears, or his flushed neck. //It embarrasses him to go through her underwear drawer,// he realized barely holding in his smile.
An-Paj took the garment out of the young Master's hands. "I'll be right back," he said with a grin he couldn't hold in any longer. Before he could see the knight's response, he turned on his heel and headed back to the main room.
Just as An-Paj finished putting the garment on his sleeping patient, she awoke and her glazed eyes looked up at him in confusion. "How do you feel, Meri?" he asked gently.
"I'm cold," she murmured.
An-Paj bent down. "I know you are," he said softly. "Put you arms around my neck, okay? And I'll take you back to your bed." Without protesting Meri weakly lifted her arms and put them around his neck, and the healer quickly picked her up.
"Am I in the infirmary?" she questioned faintly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"No, you're in your quarters. Don't you remember?" But his question went unanswered, for already she had fallen back asleep. As soon as he stepped into the hall Alex was at his side, and trailed after the healer as he took Meri to her bedroom.
As An-Paj tucked the covers around the sleeping padawan, he asked, "Okay, what happened?" At the grimace on the young Jedi's face, he knew the story must partly have been Alex's fault, or at least he blamed himself for it. And considering what he knew of Alex that was very probable.
As Alex began retelling the story for the healer, An-Paj perched on the side of the bed and listened intently.
"I found her in the kitchen barefoot and surrounded by glass. Then she looked as though she were going to move," Alex paused, and bit his lip, reminding An-Paj distinctly of the young Master's apprentice who did the very thing when she was nervous.
"You didn't startle her, did you?" The question was asked in a tone of voice that implied he knew the answer. And An-Paj was almost sure he did know the answer.
"I didn't mean to, but I did." The look on the young knight's face was miserable. "Is she going to be alright?"
An-Paj nodded. "She'll be alright," he paused, his lips twitching. "Your floor won't be alright, but Meri will be alright. The cuts will heal quickly, but I want you to watch this fever. We've learned it can get out of hand quickly."
The young knight nodded and then began rubbing his temples.
"Oh, and Alex, you have had a first aide class, haven't you?"
"Yes," he replied hesitantly.
"Is there some reason you didn't at least care for her feet?" An-Paj tried to ask the question gently, but he could see the knight would still berate himself over what had happened.
"I did not--I didn't think--I'm sorry," he said quietly, his face showing his obvious embarrassment.
An-Paj stood up and prepared to leave. "It's alright, Alex. You are young and learning." Walking back to the main room, the healer gathered his things and then turned to the knight who had followed him out. "You should be able to remove those bandages on her feet in a few hours," he paused and handed Alex a strange device. "I want you to take her temperature every few hours, and make sure it doesn't get above----oh, right about here," the healer pointed to a mark on the device. "If it does get above that, call us. I'll have whoever is not busy check on the both of you later. Oh and you just place that point, there, in her ear, and press the button. It will record her temperature."
Alex nodded in response and walked the healer to the door. An-Paj paused as he stepped out into the hall. "If you call the cleaning droid right away it can probably get those stains out for you," he offered.
"Thank you, I'll do that," Alex said quietly.
An-Paj nodded and strode down the hall. As he entered the lift, he shook his head, not sure whether he should laugh or be concerned. //Well,// he thought. //There goes that boys confidence for awhile.//
|===|---------
Alex stared after the retreating healer for a few moments before stepping back inside. As the door behind him shut with a soft sound, he turned his eyes to the object in his hand, given to him by the healer. Never in his life had he felt so incompetent and foolish. It was a new feeling and one he did not favor--especially considering `who' his actions affected. Raising ice blue eyes, he stared in the direction of his apprentice, before letting out a haggard sigh.
After accessing the comm. unit and requesting a service droid, Alex headed down the hall to check on his apprentice. After what had happened that morning he found himself thinking he should check on her every five minutes lest a repeat of that morning were to happen.
As he looked down on her pale, but tranquil face he found himself remembering the way his heart had almost stopped when she had fallen, and feeling as if the floor were being ripped out from underneath his feet. //If this is what it feels like to have an apprentice, I'm not sure I can handle it,// he thought wryly.
Reaching down, the young Master pushed a persistent lock of hair behind Meri's ear. //Too late for that,// he mused with a wry grin. His desire to help her in her grief had already grown into something stronger than mere concern. //I just hope she can survive me,// he thought with furrowed brow. It would take him a long while to forgive himself of the earlier mistake.
Hours later, the service droid had come and gone, bringing with it Alex's replacement robe. The stains on the floor had luckily been removed, and things were beginning to look more normal around the quarters. Throughout the day Alex had checked on his apprentice often, and done as An-Paj had ordered--taking her temperature every few hours. He had also removed the bandages from her feet, pleased to see that the cuts had almost fully healed. She hadn't been awake very often; the fever was obviously taking its toll.
It was now late afternoon, and Alex knelt in quiet meditation out in the main room. His senses were sharpened, so it was with ease he heard the almost soundless scuffle in the near hallway. His head turned and his eyes opened in one collective moment. "You shouldn't be up," he spoke in mild surprise.
His eyes took in Meri's appearance and he rose to his feet in a single smooth movement. He noticed the way she was standing--half leaning, against the wall. She was still pale; the rosy hue of her cheeks had lessened, but by no means disappeared. She looked as though she were about to drop at any instant.
"I'm thirsty," she said faintly, taking a step forward.
Her step was unsure, and Alex could see her shaking with weakness. //She definitely should not be up,// he thought as he quickly moved to her side.
As he stopped at her side Meri attempted to look up at him, but as she tilted her head back her body followed and if it hadn't been for him standing there she would have been on the floor.
Walking to the couch, Alex deposited his armful onto the cushions for the second time that day. "You shouldn't be up," he repeated gently. "If you want something you have only to ask me." He knew what he implied and thought it highly unlikely she would actually use the Force to access their almost non-existent bond. "Wait here and I'll get you something to drink, then it's back to bed."
With quick steps he headed for the kitchen, thanking the Force he had averted a second disaster. He was beginning to realize something about his apprentice--she was very stubborn.
***
The healer's visit that evening revealed Meri's fever was a few digits higher than it should be. Though Healer Lilia assured Alex the girl would probably be fine in the morning, the news only furthered to spike his concern.
"She'll be just fine," the healer repeated, her soft voice attempting to reassure him, as she brushed the hair off Meri's damp forehead. "And I've given her something so she'll sleep the night through."
"Should I stay with her?" he asked as he looked down on the sleeping fourteen-year old.
The healer's green eyes studied him and then the sleeping apprentice. "It is not necessary you stay with her, but if you want to..." she trailed off, then turned to pick up her cloak. Lilia knew Meri's background file well after having been assigned to watch over her after her Master's death. Looking now at the young knight by the bedside, she wondered if Meri was being any more open with him than she had been with the healers in the infirmary. Something told her that the new Padawan was not. Perhaps if the knight stayed with her, the grief stricken girl would see someone actually cared, as this young man obviously did.
Giving Alex a last comforting smile, the healer took her leave.
***
After the healer left, the quarters were once again plunged into silence. Alex paced from room to room for a while. Finally making up his mind, he grabbed a chair out of the main room and set it down near Meri's bed. After setting the lights on low, he eased his tall frame into the more than slightly uncomfortable chair.
The hours passed slowly and unpleasantly in the hard chair, but still Alex kept vigil. It wasn't until the early morning hours when a small noise jolted Alex from his dozing.
Sitting up with a grimace, he peered at Meri's face and found it tight and drawn with some unknown worry. He watched as she mumbled and then stirred in the induced sleep that she was unable to escape from. It took him a few minutes to realize he was witnessing one of her nightmares in its beginnings.
When she cried out for her Master, he almost without thinking grabbed her hand and held it tightly, all the while murmuring assurances as he sent Force waves to calm her.
Seconds passed, and then minutes and Meri finally started to calm. The minutes fell into hours, yet Alex did not release her hand.
